From Jan. 29 to Feb. 1, junior Sophia Zheng and sophomore Sinziana Lazar went to the Illinois Music Education Association All-State Orchestra in Peoria for three days of intense practice with a final performance on the last day. 

The performance took place at Carver Arena at the Peoria Civic Center. This was Sinizana’s first time auditioning and performing on her violin at the ILMEA All-State Orchestra with an intense practice schedule. 

Sinizana said rehearsals started at 8 or 9 a.m. and continued for three hours in which performers practiced parts of the musical pieces. Another intensive practice followed lunch.

“One day we had a four-hour and forty-five minute rehearsal, which was long but quite fun,” Sinziana said.

She said the experience was exciting and that the final performance had thousands of people in attendance. 

“We got our pieces a long time ago, so I had time to practice them, and I can’t say I was particularly stressed,” Sinziana said. “I’ve been playing in ensembles for quite some time. It wasn’t a new experience by any means. 

The orchestra played three songs — “Dusk,” “Shortcut Home” and “Danzon No. 2” — and played “America the Beautiful” with the combined orchestra, choir and band.

“The one I had the most fun with was Danzon,” Sinziana said. “In direct translation it is a dance, and so it’s much more exciting than the other ones.”